Eggless Paan Cake (Indian Fusion Cake for Diwali)
This eggless paan cake has all the flavours of a meetha paan after a festive meal: fresh betel leaves, gulkand, fennel seeds and sweet supari, baked into a soft green cake topped with pistachios and rose petals. It is my fun Indian fusion dessert for Diwali.
A sweet paan after a big festive meal is a tradition in so many Indian homes. This cake turns that taste into a dessert: the betel leaves are blended into milk to flavour the batter, gulkand brings a rosy sweetness, and fennel and sweet supari give that familiar paan crunch.
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What gives this cake its paan flavour
- Betel leaves (paan patta): blended with milk and strained, so the batter gets the fresh paan flavour without any leafy bits.
- Gulkand: sweet rose petal jam, just like the filling of a meetha paan.
- Fennel seeds and sweet supari: for the crunch and aroma of a paan.
- Pistachios and rose petals: sprinkled on top before baking, for a festive finish.
My tips
- Strain the paan milk well. Press the pulp with a spatula and pour the rest of the milk over it slowly to get every bit of flavour.
- Scrape down the bowl while creaming the butter and sugar.
- Add flour and paan milk alternately, starting and ending with flour, on low speed.
- Tap the tin on the counter before baking to remove air bubbles.
- The green colour is optional. I used a little in the video to make the cake look like paan. If you don’t have it, just skip it. The betel leaves give the cake its paan flavour anyway.
A dessert for Diwali and every festive meal
Serve slices after a festive lunch or dinner in place of the usual paan, or pack them in a Diwali dessert box. Your guests will love guessing the flavour!
Eggless Paan Cake
Ingredients
Method
- Make the paan milk: put the torn betel leaves in a blender with the water and a little of the milk, and blend to a smooth paste. Strain it, pressing with a spatula, then slowly pour the rest of the milk over the pulp, pressing to get out all the flavour. Add a little green food colour if you like (optional).
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 7-inch or 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda, then stir in the fennel seeds and sweet supari.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and caster sugar with a hand mixer until creamy. Scrape down the sides.
- Add the curd and beat until smooth, then add the gulkand and beat again.
- Add the flour mixture and the paan milk alternately, starting and ending with flour, mixing on low after each addition.
- Scrape down the sides and give a final mix with a spatula.
- Pour the batter into the tin and tap it on the counter to remove air bubbles. Sprinkle the toasted pistachios and rose petals on top.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the edges pull away from the tin and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the tin for 10–20 minutes, then loosen the edges, turn out, peel off the paper and serve.
Video
Notes
Related Recipes You’ll Love
- Eggless Gulab Jamun Cake — a festive fusion cake soaked in rose syrup.
- Eggless Thandai Pistachio Rose Cake — a fragrant festive cake for every celebration.
- Oreo White Chocolate Fudge — a 4-ingredient fudge for Diwali gift boxes.
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